Spending a lot more time at home these last few weeks has left me wanting to get on my soapbox and vent about a few topics, which I hope everyone will indulge me a few moments to get these off my chest. I will keep these few isolated articles as short and sweet as possible.
Growing up in Australia since birth, I was raised believing many of the values that Australians hold dear to them – such as the idea of everyone having a fair go, the bond of mateship, the value of a community working towards a common good and the joy of being part of a multicultural society among many others. These values have unfortunately been tested over the years as I have gotten older – from the toxicity from some parties around the introduction of marriage quality in Australia to the infamous 2005 Cronulla riots. That said, I still love my home country and its people.
But as I sit home today reflecting on how many Australian’s have done the right thing to “flattening the curve” around the impact of COVID-19 on our country, my mind keeps drifting to the above clip played on public television this month and last. Created by the SDA Union (An Australian Union for workers in the retail, fast food, warehouse, hair & beauty and modelling industry), this community service announcement served as a reminder that many in the retail sector were being considered an “essential service” and that the public should be respectful of them.
It was rather confronting idea that such a PSA needed to be distributed to the public. Surely during this time more than others, ‘Team Australia’ would rally behind each other and support their family, friends and the wider community to ensure we are all safe and secure over this period. Yet, of course, it seems that idea is nothing more than wishful thinking, given there is now a $5,000 fine required for “spitting or coughing on essential service workers in NSW, there has been a 40% increase on abuse of public transport workers, and there are not just isolated cases of retail workers being abused by shoppers. These are people who I am sure would love to be safe at home with their families rather than at work risking their personal safety, and deserve an almost infinite amount of respect over this period.
I love Australia as my home country… but it is hard not to be disappointed by the ongoing issues occurring during this period. Team Australia can do better than this. If everyone collaboratively sticks together during this period, we will reduce the impact COVID-19 has on our most vulnerable and get out of this quicker and healthier!
